Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 13 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 15 |
| 1893 | 15 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 26 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 7 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 8 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
194 stories matching liabl
- The Battle for the Ballot
Despite false rumors meant to discourage participation, women in Seattle are registering to vote in record numbers ahead of the municipal election.
- Tacoma's Treasurer Kept City Cash in a Bank That Now Owes $60,000
A 'note-sharing and warrant-buying' institution fails, and the public money inside it has not yet been handed over.
- State Cracks Down on Deceptive Dairy Practices
Food Commissioner McDonald orders grocers to pull or label condensed milk artificially colored to suggest higher butterfat content.
- The Scandal of the 'Assignation House' on Front Street
A public, anonymous accusation of moral impropriety sparks a newspaper rebuttal and a demand for civic dignity in early Seattle.
- The Mayor's Foundry and the School Board Scandal
Mayor Gilbert Hunt attempts to clear his name as the local paper doubles down on allegations of municipal graft.
- Seattle's Sugar Panic of 1888
A rapid-fire series of local price hikes turned sugar buying in Seattle into a high-stakes, volatile gamble that rivaled the dangers of the stock market.
- The Madison Street Assessment Battle
A property owner challenges the legality of street improvement assessments in Seattle, setting the stage for litigation.
- The Street That Couldn't Be Finished
Property owners on Deeatnr Street face losing their homes to the city treasurer over an unfinished grading project that the city legally cannot complete.
- A Day of Mayhem at City Hall
A Seattle newspaper recounts a chaotic Tuesday for the city's 'reform administration' involving a runaway engine, a fired official, and a physical assault on an editor.
- The Customs Trap: An International Steamship Row
A British steamer’s decision to transport passengers between two American ports leads to a local confrontation over federal shipping laws.
- The Town Goes to the Dogs
A state-mandated rabies quarantine forces Kennewick residents to muzzle their dogs or face the consequences.
- Fatal Currents: City Under Fire for Electrocution
Electricians question the city's management after two men died from a high-tension wire grounding failure.
- The Confidence Man of Washington Street
A grifter exploited local tensions to con Chinese merchants out of $600 under the guise of buying off a prosecutor.
- Tacoma’s Tent Caterpillar Plague
A horticultural emergency prompts city officials to order residents to prune or burn infested branches as an invasive pest threatens to strip the city’s trees.
- The Price of Justice in Olympia
A legal fight over venue costs in 1892 sparks anxiety among Thurston County taxpayers, revealing the administrative strain of high-profile litigation.
- The Warehouseman’s Betrayal
A legal dispute over the embezzlement of wheat highlights the fragile trust of the Palouse agricultural economy.
- The Anatomy of a 'Quitter' in the Labor Movement
A fiery editorial from the era defines the unionist's ideal of solidarity—and the absolute contempt reserved for those who broke ranks.
- The 'Agricultural Wonder' of the Skagit Valley
A local farmer promises to transform the economy of the Territory with a miracle oat that promises to outgrow all others.
- The Squatter’s Right to the Land
The federal government defines the fine line between a settler's homesteading right and illegal timber harvesting on public lands.
- City and County Locked in Standoff Over Hospital Care
As bureaucratic disputes over hospital bills intensify, city officials warn that patients may soon be abandoned to the streets.
- A Milestone for Workers’ Rights
A tragic accident at the Clough-Hartley mill highlights the life-saving impact of Washington's early workmen's compensation law.
- The Fight for a Port Townsend Customs House
A Congressman makes a spirited plea to Washington D.C. for funds to house the booming commerce of the Puget Sound district.
- Seattle’s Rotten Sewer System Needs Replacement
City Engineer R.H. Thomson warns that downtown’s decade-old wooden sewers are a 'menace to the roadway' and proposes a major overhaul.
- The Steamboat That Carried Too Many
A legal dispute over overcrowding on the Seattle-Tacoma run exposes the strict—and often ignored—limits placed on Puget Sound steam travel in 1888.
- The Clubhouse Seattle Would Not Rent
In 1923, a landlord was talked out of leasing a house to Filipino students after a University of Washington professor objected to living near them—prompting an editorial demand for a permanent home the community could call its own.